Kaine Calls for a Compromise

David Guernsey, former chairman of the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, said he was disappointed by Kaine's comments in the speech.

"It's a sad consequence. These guys all react to polls," Guernsey said. "That determines how the next election is going to turn out. I think that's what we've been faced with for years. This is not just a Kaine phenomenon."

Kaine's supporters in the Republican-controlled Senate said they do not believe the governor has given up on the idea that the state needs at least $1 billion a year in new money for roads, bridges, buses and rail lines.

"He has not backed down on anything," said Senate Minority Leader Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax). "How are you going to fix [transportation] statewide without a tax increase? Kindly tell me that."

Disagreement over whether to raise taxes delayed agreement on the state budget for more than three months this year. Senators pushed for variations of Kaine's plan while House Republicans said they were opposed to any general tax increase paid by all Virginians.

The Senate finally abandoned its push for the tax increase in late May, but the budget wasn't finalized until the end of June, just before the ability to spend money on state programs would have run out. At the time, senators and House members agreed to return in the fall to continue the transportation debate.

On Monday, House Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) and Sen. Thomas K. Norment Jr. (R-James City) announced plans for both chambers to convene Sept. 27 to debate transportation. They said they have agreed to go no longer than midnight Sept. 30.

House committees will meet earlier that week to take action on transportation bills approved by the Senate during the extended legislative session this year.

Howell and Norment said they were optimistic that legislation could be completed by the end of September. Like Kaine, they both played down the chambers' significant disagreement over taxes, which forced a three-month delay in passing the budget.

"We are trying not to focus so much on the areas of disagreement," Norment said.

Howell said, "I think we'll come up with some very meaningful initiatives."